


words turn to ash and the pages have burned

by allisonmartined



Series: my head is boiling and my hands are freezing [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Canonical Character Death, M/M, Mentions of Erica/Laura
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-04
Updated: 2013-07-04
Packaged: 2017-12-17 15:13:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/868971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allisonmartined/pseuds/allisonmartined
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Derek wasn’t the bright beacon that Laura Hale was, but he tried to be her reflection, tried to be her shadow.</p>
            </blockquote>





	words turn to ash and the pages have burned

**Author's Note:**

> for cookiesofdoom, who cared if i continued this and was a bright beacon of inspiration and encouragement.

His family died in fire and Laura, his brilliant sister, rose from their ashes, tear stained and broken, but alive, like a phoenix.  She took their pack and made it whole again, she took him and breathed life into him again, with relentless speeches and a smile that could kill.  Her laugh made him hear again and her nudge made him feel again.  She was always their salvation, in ways that Derek could never bare to be. 

And when she died, when he held her lifeless body, slashed open and defeated, Derek wasn’t the bright beacon that Laura Hale was, but he tried to be her reflection, tried to be her shadow.

Erica cried for days, her nose tucked into his shoulder, and he tried not to think about what losing a mate means to the heart, to the soul.  He just tucked her hair behind her ears, smoothed it with calloused hands, and reminded them both to breathe.

Boyd, Isaac, and Scott, his brothers, his friends, his _betas_ now, stood at the edges of rooms, in the light where Derek could not stand.  They acted as pillars, supporting with strong capable hands and minds.

He finds Stiles in his room, still, face pale and ashen, not the jittery laughing creature that flittered through the halls only days before.  _There’s no – we can’t – there’s no way – we can’t bring her back?_ Stiles’ voice croaks around the words, and Derek wonders when the last time he spoke was.  Stiles, Stiles with his bursts of movement and his words that seem to stretch over eternity.

Derek shakes his head, he feels empty, hollowed out, burned out.  They slump against the bed together, fingers finding skin, just to prove that something is _right_.

+

The Wolf Queen came in to power soon after that, after the Hunters, after they burned his world down.  She had steely nerves and a sharp wit, but she was fair and kind when the moment asked it of her. 

Stiles sparked around her, like minds sharpening each other, and Derek hid smiles into the palm of his hands.

+

 _I like her, she’s brilliant.  She’s not as pretty as you though_ , Stiles says against his cheek.  And Derek huffs out a laugh against his lips, around his tongue.

+

Derek would like to say that the war started in increments, that it happened slowly.  But Lydia is precise, deadly in her accuracy.  And with Stiles giving his input, well.  They’re a formidable pair.  The war does not start slowly. It starts with a threat and with a battle. 

And it ends with fire, as do most things in his life.

+

They sit around a large rectangular table, after.  Stiles lays out their plans, carefully goes over each detail, making sure to construct a cohesive plan.  The queen points out flaws and inaccuracies, and her and Stiles argue in long factual sentences until they come up with something that makes sense on all sides.  Allison watches cautiously, no doubt mapping out how to best protect her queen.  They sit there until daylight, until their words slur and their bodies slump, and they have something that will _work_.

+

 _She reminds me of Laura, sometimes_ , Stiles says into the dark.  Spaces away Derek shifts towards him, throat tight and dry and threads their fingers together.

 


End file.
